Interview with 'Around The World' Playwright Mark Brown

Mark Brown is an award-winning writer and actor who has appeared in theatres across the country, including South Coast Repertory and Utah Shakespearean Festival. Films include Out of Sight (with George Clooney), Holy Man (with Eddie Murphy and Jeff Goldblum) and Amy's O (Winner Best Film: Santa Barbara Film Festival). Notable TV credits include the Emmy Award-winning series “From the Earth to the Moon” (with Tom Hanks), “House,” “Ally McBeal,” “Providence,” “Diagnosis Murder,” and countless commercials and made-for-TV films.

His play AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS has literally been produced around the world. Awards for 80 Days include two Lillie Stoates Awards, including Best Production (Orlando Shakespeare Festival), four Shellie Awards, including Best Production (Center Rep Theatre), five Sarasota Magazine Theater Award nominations (Florida Studio Theatre) and two Los Angeles Ovation Award Nominations (the Colony Theatre). The Sacramento Bee named 80 Days Best Theatrical Comedy of 2004.

Q: When did you launch your theatrical journey with Around the World in 80 Days?

A: It began in 1999 when several of my friends and I sat around discussing one of our favorite subjects---what novels would make good stage adaptations---and Around the World in 80 Days came up. Someone said, "It'll be great. We'll follow the balloon from country to country." I piped in with, 'There's no balloon." I hadn't even read the novel but somehow I knew there wasn't a balloon in it. How I knew this little bit of trivia I'll never know, but it’s true. There's no balloon. There's no balloon in the book. There's no balloon in my script. It's the curse of the movie, really. The one with David Niven that won five Academy Awards. The film had a balloon. It's what everyone remembers. But there's no balloon in the book and there's no balloon in this show.

Q: So other than having no balloon, what challenges did you encounter in turning a classic novel into what has become a classic play?

A: I did several different versions of the play. Originally I tried to do it using the original words from the book with characters commenting on their own feelings, but the first act ended up being two hours long. We would have needed a dinner break to do the entire play.


Q: Fortunately, you chose to cut the play down. Is that when you came up with the concept of using only five actors to play three dozen roles?

A: I actually set that parameter at the beginning, to have five actors. I had flow charts that showed costume changes, things like that. I really wanted to keep it to five actors. There was one scene where I needed a sixth actor, so I ended up having one actor excuse himself to use the bathroom, and then quickly come back on as another character. It’s the only reason he goes to the bathroom.

Q: Did you find that your experience as an actor helped in the writing of this play?

A: I think it helped in writing this play, and my other plays as well. I wanted this one to be fun for the audience, and for the actors. Sometimes I think actors want to kill me for what I have done. But I sort of knew what was possible for quick changes, and breaking down the fourth wall as well as breaking down time and space throughout the entire show.


Q: Since writing Around the World in 80 Days and having it premiered at Utah Shakespeare Festival several years ago, it has been performed – fittingly enough – around the world. Does the play’s success surprise you?

A: It was big hit in South Africa, and has been done in England, in Canada, around the United States, and just had an off-Broadway run. I thought it was fun, but I never thought it would take off like this. Of course, it has great name recognition, and it has a small cast. You don’t need a backdrop or elaborate sets, it is as simple can be. I did not put a lot of stage directions in the script because I really wanted directors to bring their creativity to it. I wanted set designers and costume designers to figure out how to create this world on stage. I did not want to nail it down to anything.

Q: Have any productions of your play been done in a larger-than-life setting?

A: Most productions have been fairly simple. This show really relies on the imagination of the artistic team and of the audience. If you were to see a Radio City production of this play, you’d see a real elephant but it would be really boring because you’re not using your imagination. If the actors tell the story like eight-year-olds and bounce around, it’s live as opposed to literal. It’s like seeing my daughter pretending that “now I am in the castle,” or “now I am underwater, save me daddy.” It’s fun to do that. We have all been to that place. With this play, it’s “I’m on an elephant, now I am on a train.” It’s a really fun play, a fun night out at the theater. It’s about as deep as a shallow puddle, but it’s really fun.

Theatre Charlotte's production of AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS runs March 16 through April 1. Tickets are available through CarolinaTix at 704-372-1000 or CarolinaTix.org.